Garden of the Moon
by LadyAxisNeoluna
Summary: As a means of his love and devotion to Aphelios, Sett helped build a way for his dear lover to bridge a way to his sister Alune. Sett x Aphelios.


AN: I named Sett's mom Yuena (You-eh-na) since I really grew on that name. And I made a lot of creative liberties with how the content worked.

* * *

It was mid-spring in Ionia and Aphelios anticipated coming back to visit Sett and his mother, as three months pass since their last company.

A few years since he became a weapon on behalf of his people and searching for the Moon Aspect Diana on his travels around Runeterra. Early on his journey he came to Ionia in hopes there were ways or signs of finding her.

A large city in Navori was supposed to be some stopover for him to gather information, but in a nearly tragic turn of events it changed a lot of his life.

He unknowingly met his to-be lover's mother Yuena amidst a busy night market. He noticed some suspicious people stalking her and a gut feeling she wouldn't be safe, so he followed them some distance away. His fears came true and the gang of lowly thugs attempted to catch and smuggle her in isolation, but he used Gravitum to slow and hold them down for her to escape them and helped lead her to safety.

Yuena quickly learned he couldn't talk and more surprising is she can perceive and hear the ghostly apparition of Alune due to her Vastayan heritage. As her token of thanks, she gave him a sign language book she carried in aid of many hearing-impaired elders in the city, which served him well as he learned and practiced from it since. They bid their farewells that night, and Aphelios thought would be the last and only time.

Fate was a mysterious backer when the day after, Aphelios unknowingly met the woman's son as the Pit Boss and informal information broker of Navori, Sett.

He registered from the matchbooker that he wanted information over a cut of the arena's till. Considering the extent of the information he wanted, he took up the toughest matches he was able to sell to the gambling masses for the boss's notice. Killing was easy for Aphelios, keeping someone to only near-death was another challenge he needed to temper.

The matches for Aphelios were all a blurred event for him, in that they were almost forgettable. In contrast to the nigh spirit-crushing training he went through all his life, the men he fought were not at his remote level. Before long he was called up by an arena guard to get his audience.

The first time Aphelios bore close witness to Sett, there was no denying the man was incredibly handsome and had power he's unafraid to show off. Aphelios didn't know if his more stoic state showed it at the time, but his heart raced at the idea of being taken by the man, a thought he just as quickly brushed off.

Like Yuena, the Vastayan man was able to see and hear Alune. His sister helped communicate what they wanted in his place, like associates, points of interest in the continent and other dangers they may need to consider.

Sett was a surprisingly personable and generous man when no one tries to underhand him, so it made Aphelios all the more attracted to him. What the Lunari didn't expect was Sett to share his attraction by casually asking if he could kiss him.

Although they were no more than strangers at the time, Aphelios nodded in agreement. The memory of their lips connecting followed with Sett kissing deeper with his tongue was one of the most wonderful memories Aphelios could recall.

Since then, he and Sett became close acquaintances, then good friends. And after some trials involving how their relationship was shaping up to be, it was undeniable what they felt for each other was love.

Pulling his thoughts back to the present, he anticipated some surprise that Alune by some miracle kept from him.

oOoOo

Sett looked over the finishing touches of his gift, an authentic Lunari shrine he researched from purchased rare and even lost Lunari scriptures and took part in building with his own hands.

The altar in question was simple and elegant in it's design. Two stone pillars roughly twice his height, spaced to hold a waning crescent moon commissioned from a master stonemason. Before the structure, a circular platform with veins of magic rich quartz fitted into rings, further surrounded by round stone steps and a pond cultivated to properly house the rare Noctum flower in it's waters.

Everything from the carvings, the symbolic placements, and hell even the right building materials or if any additional touches added to the shrine were too upfront with it's meaning, were triple checked by Sett. He looked on through the waning crescent, the daylight slowly ebbing away to night.

"Is your gift up to your standards Settrigh?" A soft motherly voice said to Sett, almost teasing her boy.

Sett's ears twitched to the soft footstep of Yuena approaching and turned to her. Her soft lavender hair and youthful features betraying her true age and wisdom.

Sett chuckled sheepishly, "I just seem to have nerves ma. I want it to be perfect for them."

Yuena smiled, "Aphelios and Alune would appreciate all you've done." she assured, "You've gone above any expectations you put your mind into and I'm proud of you."

Sett gave a sad smile back, "And yet, I still feel I need to earn a lifetime of your forgiveness ma."

When Yuena finally learned what her son truly did, part of her heart broke with it. She long suspected his injuries being too severe to be made by mere building tools; they were familiar injuries her long disappeared husband suffered from when he fought. Day by day, she prayed for her son's safety and for her instincts to be wrong about his occupation.

It was almost a blessing on itself when her son first introduced Aphelios and in turn Alune to her. The same young man and his twin sister who saved her so long ago, was the very man her son fell in love with. She learned about their circumstances and her heart bled for both of them. She caught glimpses of how Aphelios and her son have moments of tenderness and frank honesty, and learning the Lunari man was a driving influence for Sett to finally open up on his long-kept secret.

Knowing her son wasn't completely alone in his path and had a capable other half by his side, it gave her relative peace of mind.

Yuena's smile only grew more tender, "I've accepted that you took this path, and I did my best to protect you under our circumstances." She placed a comforting hand on his arm, "I could never hate you Settrigh, I will love you to the very end of my days."

Sett couldn't resist hugging his mother, "I love ya too ma, for everything you've done and dealt with me."

_"He's coming soon." A_n ethereal voice said to the two Vastaya.

"Wait, Alune?!" Sett said aloud in surprise, pulling somewhat away from his mother to look.

Soon enough, the Lunari seer's spectral being became more defined and human in form. Aside from the blue glow of her magic, she could have been any other normal woman. Alune shared her smile of gratitude. _"I'm able to be solid on this shrine. Thank you for all you've done Sett."_

As an unconscious demonstration, Alune proceeded to hug both Sett and Yuena, staying intact instead of phasing through in the slightest.

The Noctum essence was wearing off so Aphelios was able to speak to some minor strain, but being unable to hear his sister unnerved him a bit. When he entered the large estate and found no one inside, he entered the water garden in the middle of all of it. He couldn't believe the sight in front of him.

It was almost dreamlike to see the love of his life, and their close family all before a shrine so reminiscent of the ones in Targon.

"A-Alune?" Aphelios managed to say. The three turned to Aphelios, all happy for his behalf. The Lunari man practically rushed to them and immediately held his sister in his arms. He knew she was physically still in the fortress, but being able to hold her again relieved a pain he long held.

Sett in that moment never felt as accomplished as he'd ever been. No amount of money or streak of victories even came close to the fact that his lover could hold his sister again, after so many years forced apart.

_"Brother" _Alune greeted him in the verge of tears,_"it's good to see you like this."_

"How?" Was all Aphelios could say.

"It wasn't easy Phel," Sett started fondly, "but I collected a lot of Lunari texts and scriptures to find that this was actually possible. This shrine acts as a focus for people with magical potential to pass through the celestial veil and be solid. So long story short, you and your sister could talk around here without using the poison."

Sett gestured out to the water, "But ma and I actually managed to cultivate Noctum flowers to grow here with Ionia's natural magic sustaining it. You could stock up on it when you're far from Targon."

"Sett..." Aphelios' voice became even more choked up. So many feelings he thought were gone from him, surfaced so suddenly. Even when he never asked much of Sett, he just seemed to give so much for his sake and hadn't faded since.

Sett grinned, "You'll never be alone heartlight. This is my way of saying you and Alune are my family too, and you both have a home here with me and ma." he assured, his being warm at Aphelios' presence, "I love to see you light up and be whole, as you've calmed a lot of uncertainties I've repressed and avoided for so long. I just love ya Phel."

Aphelios gave his sister one final squeeze before he held the Vastayan man he'd missed for months, with Sett returning the embrace. Aphelios drew Sett down for him to cup his face, "And I love the warmth you've given me Sett, in times my mind and heartfelt so numb to everything, you've really become my other half."

Despite the presence of their family with their already blatant PDA, Sett kissed Aphelios in a chaste manner to properly welcome him back.

The spring night was beautiful, and the united family decided to spend time with a picnic under the stars and the moon. All hoping for another fortunate day to come.


End file.
